An ode to the forgotten holiday: Thanksgiving (US)

[KQ]

You know what I miss? I miss Thanksgiving.

Remember when it used to be it's own holiday? It was nice....low key....a respite between Halloween & Christmas. A time to go over the river and through the woods to join the famdamly in a sumptuous meal with football on the side. There were no Christmas ads or lights or candy canes......just turkeys, Indian corn, pumpkin pie and playing football amongst the turning leaves.

Sigh.....I REALLY miss Thanksgiving.........DAMN YOU RETAILERS!! It's not Christmas until I say it's Christmas!!!





ROAST TURKEY WITH APPLES, ONIONS, FRIED SAGE LEAVES, AND APPLE CIDER GRAVY

Lady apples—a small, hard winter apple that’s yellow with a reddish cheek—are often used decoratively but we love them for their flavor. Their widely available in markets this time of year. Said to be one of the oldest known apple varieties, they originated in the Forest of Api, France, during medieval times.

Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 3 3/4 hr

For turkey
1 (12- to 14-lb) turkey (preferably kosher), feathers removed if necessary and neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for making stock
1 lb pearl onions (preferably red)
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
16 to 20 (2-inch) Lady apples (2 lb)

For gravy
Pan juices from roast turkey
About 4 cups turkey giblet stock
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Accompaniment: fried sage leaves

Roast turkey: Preheat oven to 425°F.

Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper inside and out. Fold neck skin under body and secure with a small skewer. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen string and secure wings to body with small skewers.

Put turkey on a rack set in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast turkey in middle of oven 30 minutes.

While turkey is roasting, blanch onions in boiling water 1 minute and rinse under cold water. Peel onions, then toss with 1 tablespoon melted butter and salt and pepper to taste. Toss apples with 1 tablespoon melted butter and salt and pepper to taste in another bowl.

Reduce temperature to 350°F. Brush remaining 1/4 cup melted butter over turkey and roast 30 minutes more.

Baste turkey and scatter onions around it, then roast 30 minutes more.

Baste turkey and add apples to roasting pan. Roast another 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until a thermometer inserted into fleshy part of a thigh registers 180°F.

Transfer turkey, onions, and apples to a heated platter, leaving juices in pan. Remove skewers and discard string. Let turkey stand at least 30 minutes, up to 45.

Make gravy while turkey stands: Skim fat from pan juices and reserve 1/4 cup fat. Pour pan juices into a 2-quart glass measure and add enough turkey giblet stock to make 4 1/2 cups total. Set pan to straddle 2 burners. Add 1 cup stock mixture and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Add remaining 3 1/2 cups stock mixture, cider, and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Transfer to glass measure.

Whisk together reserved fat and flour in a large heavy saucepan and cook roux over moderately low heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Add hot stock mixture in a fast stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in any additional turkey juices from platter and season gravy with salt and pepper. Pour gravy through a fine sieve into a gravy boat.

Cooks' notes:•Onions can be blanched and peeled 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.

•We recommend making the turkey giblet stock and fried sage leaves ahead, though they can be prepared while the turkey is in the oven.

Makes 8 servings.

Gourmet
November 2000

[Magnoe]

Amen! I looooove Thanksgiving... as you described.

[BushwackerinPA]

I love thanksgiving but we arent the biggest fans of turkey or tradition here.

We are having steak and Crab legs for T-day!!!

[bdog]

You know what I miss? I miss Thanksgiving.

Remember when it used to be it's own holiday? It was nice....low key....a respite between Halloween & Christmas. A time to go over the river and through the woods to join the famdamly in a sumptuous meal with football on the side. There were no Christmas ads or lights or candy canes......just turkeys, Indian corn, pumpkin pie and playing football amongst the turning leaves.

Sigh.....I REALLY miss Thanksgiving.........DAMN YOU RETAILERS!! It's not Christmas until I say it's Christmas!!!

Amen to that! It still is that way for some.

[KQ]

This recipe got rave reviews on Epicurious:




ROAST TURKEY WITH POMEGRANATE GRAVY

Pomegranates are plentiful this time of year, and easy to juice; we found bottled pomegranate juice too sweet for this particular recipe.

For turkey
1 (14- to 16-lb) turkey, any feathers and quills removed with tweezers or needlenose pliers, and neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for making stock
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, 5 tablespoons softened and 5 tablespoons melted
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 onion, quartered
4 large fresh thyme sprigs
For gravy
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh pomegranate juice (see cooks' note, below)
Pan juices (and roasting pan) from turkey
About 3 cups hot turkey giblet stock
1 cup water
6 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Special equipment: a small metal skewer; kitchen string; a flat rack or V-rack; an instant-read thermometer
Garnish: quartered pomegranates

Roast turkey:
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Working from neck (small) cavity, run your fingers between skin and meat to loosen skin from breast, legs, and thighs, being careful not to tear skin. Rub softened butter between skin and flesh, then sprinkle turkey cavities and skin with salt and pepper. Fold neck skin under body and secure with metal skewer and fold wing tips under breast. Stuff large cavity with onion and thyme sprigs and tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Brush skin all over with some melted butter.

Put turkey on rack in a large flameproof roasting pan and roast, basting with some melted butter and/or pan juices every 20 minutes (if turkey is browning too fast, cover loosely with foil), until thermometer inserted into fleshy part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.

Carefully tilt turkey so any juices from inside large cavity run into roasting pan, then transfer turkey to a platter (do not clean roasting pan) and let stand, loosely covered, 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 180°F).

Make gravy while turkey stands:
Cook sugar in a dry 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar is melted into a deep golden caramel. Add 1/2 cup pomegranate juice (use caution; mixture will bubble and steam vigorously) and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramel is dissolved. Remove syrup from heat.

Pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-quart glass measure or bowl, then skim off fat and reserve 1/4 cup of it. Add enough turkey stock to pan juices to total 3 1/2 cups liquid. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add water and deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Pour through fine-mesh sieve into glass measure with stock.

Whisk together reserved fat and flour in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and cook roux over moderately low heat, whisking, until pale golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add hot stock mixture in a stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, whisking, and add pomegranate syrup, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in any turkey juices accumulated on platter and simmer gravy 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and stir in remaining tablespoon pomegranate juice.

Remove string and skewer from turkey and discard onion and thyme from cavity. Serve turkey with gravy on the side.

Cooks' notes:
• Cut 2 to 3 pomegranates in half crosswise, then juice with a manual or electric juicer; alternatively, remove seeds from pomegranate and pulse seeds in a food processor until juicy, then transfer seeds to a sieve and let drain, pressing on and discarding solids.
• Pomegranate syrup can be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Gourmet
Menus
November 2004

[skimoore]

damn you people for getting me hungry....I'm also not a huge fan of turkey, but luckily Dungeness crab season just started.....

[KQ]

damn you people for getting me hungry....I'm also not a huge fan of turkey, but luckily Dungeness crab season just started.....

OVEN-ROASTED DUNGENESS CRAB

The buttery sauce that coats the crabmeat and the shells is part of the pleasure of this dish; to really enjoy it, dispense with the utensils and just eat the crab with your hands. Serve with a green salad dressed with tarragon vinaigrette and plenty of crusty sourdough bread.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 1/2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
2 large Dungeness crabs, cooked, cleaned, and cracked (about 4 1/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/2 cup blood orange juice or regular orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated blood orange peel or regular orange peel

Preheat oven to 500°F. Melt butter with oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, shallot, and dried crushed red pepper. Add crabs; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped thyme and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley over crabs. Stir to combine. Place skillet in oven and roast crabs until heated through, stirring once, about 12 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer crabs to platter. Add orange juice and peel to same skillet; boil until sauce is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over crabs. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon parsley and serve.

>> Dungeness crab: These large crabs are prized for their sweet, tender meat. They're named for Dungeness, Washington, where they were first harvested commercially, but they are caught in the Pacific Ocean all the way from Alaska to Mexico.

Makes 2 servings.

Bon Appétit
Menus
February 2005

[lax]

my mom has 5 siblings, we all go to nana's house for thanksgiving. i eat as much turkey, gravy (kickass), and mashed potatoes (fucking amazing...yes simple, but my mom somehow manages to screw them up) as a human can, and then go pass out watching football. thanksgiving is still alive in some places, don't worry. when you have to cook fro 6 kids, and you're a homemaker, you learn how to cook well for 6 kids...say what you want about women's rights and stereotypes....but my grandmother can fuckign cook!!!! getting stoked for thanks already.

[bdog]

OVEN-ROASTED DUNGENESS CRAB

The buttery sauce that coats the crabmeat and the shells is part of the pleasure of this dish; to really enjoy it, dispense with the utensils and just eat the crab with your hands. Serve with a green salad dressed with tarragon vinaigrette and plenty of crusty sourdough bread.

You're killing me! Where do you live again, and what time's dinner?

[ptavv]

The Turducken is the only centerpiece that gives Thanksgiving the full honor it deserves.

[teledave]

KQ,
All that other stuff only has to take over Thanksgiving if you let it. My family and I won't be doing any shopping on Thanksgiving, and the Friday and Saturday afterward are reserved for skiing and college football.

PS: I don't know that I have ever thanked you but you posted this recipe a couple of years ago and it has become a sort of new tradition. First turkey I had ever cooked, best turkey everyone had ever eaten.



CITRUS-GLAZED TURKEY WITH CHIPOTLE GRAVY

Traditional flavors (honey and orange) and contemporary ones (cumin and chilies) come together in the glaze, which also gives the gravy some heat and zip.

Glaze
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons (packed) grated orange peel
3 tablespoons (packed) grated lime peel (from about 12 limes)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
4 teaspoons chopped canned chipotle chilies*
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt

Turkey
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
4 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 22- to 24-pound turkey; neck, gizzard, and heart reserved
2 cups chopped peeled carrots
2 cups chopped celery with leaves
1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomatoes

9 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth

Gravy
1 cup (about) canned low-salt chicken broth

1/2 cup all purpose flour

For glaze:
Melt butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Stir in next 7 ingredients. Freeze until mixture begins to firm up but is still spreadable, about 30 minutes. Set aside 1/2 cup citrus glaze for gravy.

For turkey:
Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and reserved turkey parts and sauté until onions are very deep brown, about 22 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and tomatoes to skillet and toss to blend. (Glaze and vegetable mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill. Cover turkey and chill.)

Set rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Place small rack in center of large roasting pan. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with turkey parts around rack. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry. Place turkey on rack in roasting pan. Starting at neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Rub 1/2 cup citrus glaze over breast meat under skin. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing loosely into neck and main cavities. Tuck wing tips under turkey; tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Brush 1/3 cup glaze over top and sides of turkey (not bottom); reserve any remaining glaze. Sprinkle turkey generously with salt and pepper. Cover turkey (not pan) loosely with foil. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; add 1 cup broth to pan. Press foil snugly around turkey (not pan). Roast 1 hour 15 minutes. Add 1 cup broth to pan. Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, adding 1 cup broth every 30 minutes, lifting foil to baste with pan juices and removing foil during last 15 minutes to brown turkey, about 3 hours 30 minutes longer if unstuffed or 4 hours 15 minutes if stuffed. Transfer turkey to platter. Tent with foil; let stand 30 minutes (internal temperature of turkey will increase by 5 to 10 degrees). Reserve pan juices.

For gravy:
Strain pan juices into 8-cup measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract some pulp and as much liquid as possible; discard solids in strainer. Spoon fat from top of juices; discard fat. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices in cup to measure 6 cups.

Stir reserved 1/2 cup citrus glaze in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until melted. Gradually add flour; whisk 1 minute. Gradually whisk in pan juices. Bring to boil, whisking until smooth. Reduce heat to medium; boil until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper. Brush any remaining glaze over turkey. Serve turkey with gravy.

* Chipotle chilies canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, are available at Latin American markets, specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets.

Makes 16 servings.

[ptavv]

[ptavv]

[Grange]

What is a blanched onion and what is turkey giblet stock? That recipe does sound good.

[lemon boy]

FYI: All turkey roasting/smoking recipes should have a brining step. If you don't brine you're not getting the last 30% of greatness out of your birds.

[ptavv]

TURDUCKEN
Basic Needs:

* 16-20 lb whole turkey
* 4-5 lb whole duckling
* 3-4 lb whole chicken (or use a larger chicken and place the duckling inside it)
* corn bread dressing
* sausage stuffing
* large roasting pan and rack
* cotton string
* large needle and cotton thread

Debone the birds:

Sharpen those knives! Maximize your work area so you have plenty of room and light. Use the kitchen table if there's not enough counter space. If it is your first time deboning a fowl, it is advisable to practice first on the chicken rather than the turkey since mistakes will be hidden inside the bigger birds.

Rinse the turkey and remove the neck and any giblets. Place the turkey, breast side down, on a clean flat surface. Cut through the skin along the length of the spine. Using the tip of a knife and starting from the neck end, gently separate meat from rib cage on one side. Toward neck end, cut through the meat to expose the shoulder blade; cut meat away from and around the bone, severing bone at the joint to remove shoulder blade. Disjoint wing between second and third joints. Leave the wing bones and keep the wing attached to the meat.

Continue separating meat from frame, heading toward the thighbone and being careful to keep the "oyster" (pocket of meat on back) attached to skin, rather than leaving it with the bone. Cut through ball-and-socket joint to release the thighbone from the carcass (bird will be open on one side, exposing bones left to deal with). Keep the leg attached to the meat.

Repeat boning procedure on the other side of the bird. Carefully remove the carcass and use it to make stock. Stock is needed for making stuffing and more stock is needed for gravy. To make stock, put the turkey carcass in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat overnight.

You should end up with a flat boneless (except for wings and legs) turkey with the skin intact in one large piece. Put the boned turkey in a large dish or bowl and cover with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Place it in the refrigerator.

Repeat the deboning process on the duckling and the chicken, but debone both stumps of wings and leg drumsticks. Cut through flesh at the thinnest point and trim around these bones with a knife until they can be removed. (Since they have little meat, we usually cut off the entire wings and add them to the stock pot.) Both the chicken and duck will be stuffed inside the turkey and need not be kept "perfectly" intact.

Trim excess skin and fat from the birds. Ducks, in particular, have a lot of excess fatty skin that should be saved to render fat to be used later for making gravy. We usually completely remove the skin from the chicken, but keep some duck skin which adds flavor.
Prepare seasoning mix and set aside:

* 2 tablespoons salt
* 2 tablespoons paprika
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1-2 teaspoons dried thyme

Sausage stuffing:

Melt butter in large skillet over high heat. Add 3 cups onions and 1-1/2 cups celery. Saute until onions are dark brown but not burned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add 2 lbs sausage (we prefer spicy Italian sausage) to the skillet and cook about 5 minutes or until the meat is browned, stirring frequently. Add paprika (3 tbsp.) and minced garlic (3 tbsp.) and cook approximately 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in 3 cups of stock and bring to simmer. Continue cooking until water evaporates and oil rises to top, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2-3 cups toasted bread crumbs and mix well. Add more bread crumbs if mixture is too moist.

Prepare a similar amount of another stuffing such as corn bread stuffing.
Assembly:

At least 10 to 11 hours before dinner, assemble the Turducken.

Spread the turkey, skin down, on flat surface, exposing as much meat as possible. Rub 3 tablespoons of seasoning mix evenly on meat. Spread sausage stuffing over the turkey in an even layer approximately 3/4 inch thick.

Place duck, skin down, on top of stuffing. Season exposed duck meat with about 1 tbsp. of seasoning mix. Spread corn bread stuffing in an even layer (about 1/2 inch thick) over the duck.

Arrange the chicken, skin down, evenly on top of corn bread stuffing. Season chicken meat with seasoning mix. Spread remainder of sausage and/or corn bread stuffing on top of chicken. The assemblage will look something like this.

With another person's help, carefully lift the sides of the layered birds, folding the sides of the turkey together. Have a helper hold the bird while sewing the opening down the back of the turkey together using cotton thread. The bird may not close perfectly, and a strip of cheese cloth can be used to help close the "crack" in the back of the turkey so stuffing will not leak out when the bird is turned over.

Since the turducken has no skeleton, it must be trussed up or it may fall apart in cooking. Tie 4-5 pieces of cotton string around the bird, widthwise to act as skeletal support. Turn the bird over and place in a roasting rack inside a large roasting pan so it is oriented breast side up and looks like a "normal" turkey. Tie the legs together just above the tip bones.
Cooking:

Heat oven to 225 degrees F. Temperature control is critical since the turducken is so massive that it has to be cooked slowly at a low temperature to prevent burning the outside before the interior is cooked. Using an oven thermometer is highly recommended. We place 2-3 oven thermometers at different locations within the oven to monitor oven temperature. We also use a meat thermometer inside the bird to measure its internal temperature.

Place the bird in the center of the oven and bake until a meat thermometer inserted through to center reads 165 degrees, approximately 9 hours, though cooking times will vary depending on the size of the birds and amount of stuffing used. Rely on temperature and not time cooked for doneness.

There will be no need to baste, but accumulated drippings may need to be removed from the pan every few hours so that the lower portion does not deep fry in the hot oil. Save pan drippings for gravy. Remove the turducken from the oven and let cool in the pan for an hour before serving. Make gravy according to your favorite recipe.

To serve cut bird in half. Carve crosswise so each slice reveals all 3 meats and stuffings. Will make 15 to 25 servings.
Simple Gravy:

Take 1 cup of pan drippings plus 1 cup of flour and cook over medium heat until "tan". Add 10 cups stock to fat/flour all at once. Whisk thouroughly. Bring back to a boil and then simmer for 5 min. Whisk constantly. Add salt + pepper + paprika "to taste".

The gravy can be made in advance and allowed to stand over low heat for at least 2 hours (maybe more). We usually make at least two batches.

[lemon boy]

What is a blanched onion and what is turkey giblet stock? That recipe does sound good.

briefly boiled then drained onion ( <3mins )
stock made with the giblets

[ptavv]

I'm pretty sure none of you are appreciating the majesty of the Turducken. There are few things that encompass what Thanksgiving is about ilke the Turducken.

[lax]

The Turducken is the only centerpiece that gives Thanksgiving the full honor it deserves.

if you haven't seen red vs blue, some of this may be lost on you, but i think its pretty fucking hilarious regardless of knowledge of the series or halo, because thats not really what its about anyways. this is my favorite take on the turducken.

[KQ]

I'm pretty sure none of you are appreciating the majesty of the Turducken. There are few things that encompass what Thanksgiving is about ilke the Turducken.

LOL! You are on a TURDUCKEN mission!!!

I once had roast pig stuffed with chicken which was stuffed with sausage. Very yummy!

You're killing me! Where do you live again, and what time's dinner?

In the outer wilds of Seatown....dinner's at 6:00.

[Switters]

Holy smokes, those recipes look scrumptious, although we are extremely partial to our fried turkey down here. Delicious.

This thread has managed to get me re-pumped up about Thanksgiving despite the fact that I am already wallowing in tryptophan from our firm's Thanksgiving lunch. Turkey, ham, wings, and the staff makes the sides: collards, sweet potato casserole, cornbread stuffing, cherry cheesecake, mac and cheese, the list goes on. Working is really tough right now.

[spindrift]

TURDUCKEN

There used to be a specialty outfit in New Orleans that would prep and ship them just before Thanksgiving. Definitely the easy way out. I think they did a couple thousand a year. Ordered one once - I liked it. Got mixed reviews from the rest of the family (especially the kids since it was fairly spicy). I have no idea if they are still operating...

[FartBag Commando]

Those recipes look delicious!! Just double the poundages on the turkey and I'm all set. 12 to 14 pounds? Come on!!

[Tippster]

For the third year in a row we will be making the Hazelnut & Prosciutto crusted turkey recipe you posted back in the day. So.Stinkin'.Good.

[Trashcan]

KQ thanks for the crab recipe, that looks awesome.

About the early x-mas stuff I was in Home Depot on Halloween the all christmas decorations are up in the store. WTF, the kids haven't even done the trick or treating yet.